Karl Graf von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach

Together with his younger brother Johann Ferdinand, he was destined to pursue a military career, in order to live up to the family tradition.

His corps advanced on the left flank of Viktor Dankl von Krasnik's 1st Army at the beginning of the offensive against Russia.

Afterwards, Kirchbach returned with his I Corps to the Russian Front, where he took over command of the 7th Army from General of the Cavalry Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin on 8 September 1916.

At the beginning of 1918, after Operation Faustschlag, he was appointed military commander of all Austro-Hungarian troops in the Kherson Governorate with headquarters in Odessa.

After the end of the war, Colonel General von Kirchbach lived in Austria and fully recovered from his illness.